We're just a little over a month away from WWDC 2023 and while iPad enthusiasts don't have new hardware rumors to salivate over, we can't wait to see the latest new features in iPadOS 17.
However, not every iPad currently running iPadOS 16 may get to enjoy the fruit of Apple's OS upgrade labor as a leak from French tech site iPhoneSoft claims that a trio of popular iPads are being left behind (via MacRumors).
Here's the full list of iPads not expected to receive the iOS 17 update:
- iPad Pro 9.7 (Gen 1)
- iPad Pro 12.9 (Gen 1)
- iPad (Gen 5)
Time for a trade-in?
This isn't the first time that we've heard that the software update fate for these specific iPads hangs in the balance at WWDC 2023. Earlier this month another source with a history of Apple software update predictions indicated that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 would drop support for a number of devices.
While we won't know for sure until WWDC is here, the evidence is building that these three iPads won't be making the journey to iPadOS 17. Now while no one likes to hear that their device isn't supported anymore, the iPad (Gen 5) is the newest device on this list and just celebrated its 6th birthday last month. The oldest is the iPad Pro 12.9 (Gen 1), which will be just shy of eight years since its release when iPadOS 17 rolls out this fall. If dog years are about 7 to 1, then tech is more like 12 to 1, so all of these devices have lived a long and happy life.
Depending on what you can get for them at the moment it might be worth trading these iPads in for one of the best tablets before they potentially lose support. However, Apple has a habit of offering security updates even for devices that are beyond their official software support. So if you are just using these older tablets to watch videos, FaceTime, or do some casual gaming then you should be just fine sticking with them even once iPadOS 17 arrives, just make sure to download those security updates.
